“Thank you to all the staff Southend United and Southend United Youth Academy for believing in me and giving me this opportunity at such a young age,” Kelman wrote on twitter. “I couldn’t be more grateful I won’t stop here and Dru Yearwood 50 appearances congrats!”

“I don’t want it to mask what was a tough day, but if you want to take something from today it would be that [goal],” manager Chris Powell said after the match. “He’s a young talent, he’s trained with us, we’ve had him in and around the group training and we all like him.

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“As it seems at the minute, we’re having to put out a patchwork team, a patchwork squad full of young players who will either get up to the rhythm and the pace of it or find it a bit difficult. He was a real livewire for us and obviously he’s scored a wonderful goal which is the only positive memory that I have of today."

Kelman is England-born, but spent much of his youth in Texas and spent time in FC Dallas’ academy before moving back to his native country with Southend.

The teenager is eligible to represent the U.S. through his father, and has been called up to the Under-18 side in the past.